Antiaircraft gun



Feb. 18, 1941. F. .1. ERICHTMAN 2,231,879

ANTIAIRCRAFT GUN Filed March 16, 1959 Patented Feb. 18, 1941 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AN TIAIRCRAFT GUN Frederick J Brightman, Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii Application March 16, 1939, serial N0. 262,267

2 Claims. (o1. 89-1) This invention relates to a 4gun particularly Said clip or mounting plate I8 in line with the adapted for antiaircraft use although not limited chambers I'I has recesses 2l in which the car. thereto. tridges I8 are removably seated, as best shown in It is particularly aimed to provide a gun in Figure 2, and retained through the overlapping which the hits will be almost certain when the of latches 22 with annular shoulders 23 thereof. 5 elevation, deflection, lead, etc. are substantially Said latches are pivoted at 24 to the clip I8 and correct when the gun is fired and wherein a pluare urged to that position by expansive springs rality of barrels are all fired at the same time 25. As a result, the cartridges may be applied to producing a pattern which is uniform, so that the the clip while out of the gun and inserted into number of balls or projectiles required will be the same as a unit and after firing, removed from 10 maintained at a minimum, and such a. constructhe gun as a unit. The latches 22 are readily tion as will produce a pattern of the ,desirable displaceable to release the cartridges I8 and a 'short shot string. special tool is preferably provided to simultane- The more specic objects and advantages will ously release allof the latches 22 and thereby sibecome apparent from a consideration of the demultaneously release all of the fired cartridges. l5

scription following taken in connection with ac- In line with the recesses, the clip I9 has firing companying drawing illustrating an operative pins 26 urged out of ring position by coil springs embodiment. 21. Such pins have heads 28 and the pins and In said drawing: heads are slidably mounted in appropriate re- Figure 1 is a view primarily in side elevation cesses of the clip as shown. 20 but partly in section showing my improved gun; A driving pin head is applicable to and remov- Figure 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal secable from the cylinder I6, being adapted to be tion taken through the parts adjacent one of the attached in any suitable manner. This driving firing devices; pin head 29 carries conventional slidably mount- 20 Figure 3 is an elevation of the cartridge clip ed driving pins 30, which are urged to retracted 25 or mount; position by expansive coil springs 3|. Driving Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation pin head 28 also carries a slidable hammer plate of said cartridge clip or mount adjacent one of 32 in its bore, which is adapted to be held rethe handles, and tracted and released at the moment of firing, in

Figure is a diagrammatic view showing the any suitable manner and by any suitable means. 30 approximate performance of the gun over a dis- Associated with the driving pin head is a. co1- tance of one-half nautical mile with a certain ored screen device 34 of a conventional type, approximate divergence. through which the aeroplane or target may be Referring specifically to the drawing wherein observed, especially through the glare of the sun.

35 like reference characters designate like or simi- This screen 34 is preferably of a folding type. 35 lar parts, Ill designates a conventional mount in The gun shown is of the quick firing type and which a post II is rotatable ona vertical axis hence. the clip or cartridge mounting plate I9 and to which the gun generally designated A is has handles .at 35 to facilitate its engagement for pivotally mounted as at I2 on a horizontal axis. insertion or removal. It Will be noted that the The gun A has a plurality of uniformly spaced handles 35 are located completely within the con- 40 barrels at I3 which are braced and surrounded nes of the clip and are accessible because of by cooling or heat dissipating anges I4. If declearance 36 provided around the same. sired, however, such barrels I3 may be cast In firing the gun, the hammer plate 32 is reen bloc. Said barrels extend rigidly from a released under appropriate control, the same movceiver head I5 at the forward end of a breech cyling toward the barrels and striking the driving 45 inder I6. pins at the portions` disposed behind :the forward Said receiver head I5 has cartridge chambers wall of the head 29. In turn, driving pins 30 en- I1 in line with the bores of the barrels and which gage the heads 28 of the firing pins, moving the are adapted to accommodate cartridges I8 for 4 latter into firing engagement with the primer of 5o ming. A11 of the cartridges for the chambers l1 the adjacent cartridge la. 1n this manner, au 50 are carried by a clip or mounting plate I8 which of the cartridges are fired simultaneously. Folis readily applicable to and removable from the lowing lring, the clip I9 may be readily removed, gun, the same being disk-like and intimately fltthe fired cartridges I8 released, a new supply seting a correspondingly shaped chamber 20 in the cured to the clip, the latter inserted into the gun receiver head I5. and the other parts of the gun restored to firing 55 position. In using the gun there will be :furnished a plurality of clips so that while one clip of cartridges is being red one or more empty clips may be loaded for subsequent firing.

It is obvious that the barrels may be given any desired spread or angle outwardly with respect to the center so as to produce as wide or as narrow a spray as desired. The diagram of Figure 5 shows an over alldivergence of slightly less than two degrees, producing a spray that is about fifty feet wide at a distance of la half mile, with the bullets spaced about eight feet or approximately so apart at this distance. Of course, the Width at fifteen hundred feet would then be about twentyiive feet. It will be realized that,v depending on the range etc., an aeroplane or other target willv most likely be struck by one or more of the bullets and in many cases practically riddled with one firing. For example, the barrels may be fifty or thirty calibre. The barrels in use are in many instances approximately the length of van ordinary rifle barrel so that the gun will not be unduly heavy.

Various changes may be resorted to provided they fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly it is to be realized that I am not limited to the actual details of the lock and associated mechanism shown. The lgun is to be made with any type of breech such as the interrupted screw system, sliding wedge system, combined rotary and sliding system, sliding bolt system or the like. If a recoil 'system is necessary, it may be of any suitable form. Also, the details of the gun mount, stand, controls and So forth may be varied.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gun of the class described having a plurality of barrel bores, a receiver head from which the barrel extends having cartridge receiving recesses alined with said bores, said receiver head having a rear hollow portion open at the rear end thereof, a clip applic-able to and removable from said portion, means to mount cartridges on said clipI in line with said recesses, ring pins carried by the clip, a driving pin head movable in said portion so that it may be applied to and removed therefrom to enable application and removal of a clip, driving pins carried by said driving pin head and hammer means in the rear of said driving pin head.

2. A gun of the class described having a plurality of barrel bores, a receiver head from which the` barrel extends having cartridge receiving recessesk alined with said bores, said receiver head havinga rear hollow portion open at the rear end thereof, a clip applicable to and removable from said portion, means to mount cartridges on said clip in line with said recesses, firing pins carried bythe c1ip,.fa. driving pin head movable in said portion so. that it may be applied to and removed therefrom to venable application and removal. of a clip, driving pins carried by said driving pin head, hammer means in the rear of said driving pin head, the driving pin head having a rearwardly extendingopen ended cylindrical portion, and said `hammer means being disposed operatively in the last mentioned portion.

FREDERICK J. BRIGHTMAN. 

